Upholstery forming apparatus



Jan.z,194o. QW, AVERY 2,185,827

UPHOLSTERYA FORMING APPARATUS Filed Dec. l5, 1937 Q ai kn/7' INVENToR w LCLARENCE w AVERY r B'Y l MRJg/W/ Patented Jan. 2, 1940 erstes' UPHOLSTERY IFOR/MING APPARATUS Clarence W. Avery, Detroit, Mich., assigner to The Murray Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application December' 15, i937, Serin N0. 179,845

i` Claims.

The present invention relates to upholstery forming apparatus and moreparticularly relates to that part of such apparatus in which brous material is-formed and supplied to the machine for forming fibrous bats.

The primary object ofY the present inventionis to provide a structure by which bers, which are passed through processing machines, may be automatically returned to the supply line from selected stages in the machine in the event that other machines to Ywhich the bers'are fed are stopped.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a complete circuit, for the supply of brous material to processingwmachines, having a conduit associated with the circuit which has an inlet at an'intermediate stage in the machines and an outlet communicating with thefcircuit, whereby the brous materials may be returned to the circuit from intermediate stages in their passage through the machine.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following specication, the drawing relatingthereto, and from the claims herein` after set forth.

In the drawing in which'like numerals are used to designate like parts in the several views throughout:

Figure l is a perspective, diagrammatic view of apparatus embodying features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary, perspective view, with parts broken away, illustrating a valve used in the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. A3 is a fragmentary, perspectiver vieW of a portion of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1, illustrating a modied embodiment of the present invention.

One of the steps in the formation of upholstery articles is the processingr of bers which are fed to machines which form a felted bat. The `bat is continuously formed and provides the padding for upholstery articles, and is thereafter combined with backing material and finish material which are sewed together and shaped to form the upholstery articles.

In processing the terial, such as cloth and burlap scrap, is fed into a feed hopper within which the materials are roughlyA shredded into the bers; The bersv are thereafter drawn through a conduit by .means of suction to the inlet end of a conveyor. The conveyor carries the ber to discharge openings from which the bers are discharged into feed hop-` brous material, scrap mapers. Each of the feed hoppers thereafter supplies the bers to a garnetting machine Within Which the fibers are further processed by combs and cutters; The fibers are then deposited upon conveyors which carry the bers to a position above another continuously movingy belt upon Which the bers are formed into aielted bat. As

- mentioned above, the bat is then carried through along with the scrap material. This is a trouble- H some and expensive step due to thel handling of the bers and also due to the iactrthat the vbers which havebeen once processed are again passed through av portion of the apparatus with unnecessary processing steps vbeing repeated thereon] There is `also a considerable wasteof time in operating 'the ber processing machines asl it ris necessary to run the bers completely through the machines to their dischargel end before they can be conveniently gathered1 and returned. k

According to the present invention, conduit `means are provided whichgather the bers at an intermediate `stage inthe passage of the bers through` the. processing machines;l and the bers are then returned tothe supp-ly conduit directly.` This operation is automatic vupon the shut-down of the upholstery forming machines; and during the shut-down the bers circulate in the supply circuit so that upon resumption of operation of the machines, the bers are again supplied to the..garnetting machines.v

Referring to theI drawing, and referringv par-l ticularly to Figs. 1 and2 for a detailed description of the p-resent invention, upholstery forming apparatus isgenerally indicated at Iii. The partic- Y ular arrangement of thek upholstery forming element is merely illustrative as it Willrv be levidentV that the present invention is capable oi Ause with` other types ofapparatus. The apparatus indi cated at l0 is substantially the same as thatdisclosed andclaimedin the copending application of Alfred H; Haberstumpgerial No.17975, led DecemberlO, 1937;.andingeneral includes bat formingmechanism l2, stitching mechanism I4,

severing mechanism I6, gathering mechanism I8, and a sewing machine 2B. Reference may be had to the Haberstump application referred to for a more detailed description of the steps in the method and the apparatus used to perform such steps.

Garnetting machines are diagrammatically illustrated at 22, there being three such machines indicated, and these garnetting machines may be of the type disclosed in the co-pending application of Clarence W. Avery Serial No. 58,859, iiled January 13, 1936. These Garnetting machines provide the means for distributing a substantially homogeneous, uniform layer of nonwoven, brous padding material upon the horizontal conveyor l2 of the bat forming mechanism. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that other suitable means may be used for accomplishing the results desired in this connection, and that the machines shown merely illustrate one preferred method and apparatus for accomplishing this result. The garnetting machine 22 includes cutters and combsI which process the iibrous materials fed thereto and distribute them at random substantially in a uniform, nonwoven layer, as they are fed out of the machine by means of an endless conveyor 24. The fibers are discharged from the conveyor 24 onto a continuous conveyor 26 which disposes the bers onto the horizontal conveyor l2.

Means are provided for supplying roughly matted fibrous material to the machines 22, which includes a supply bin 28 into which the scrap material such as cloth or burlap sacking 30 is charged. The scrap 30 is torn in the bin 28 into the form of rough, matted iibers. The roughly matted bers are withdrawn from the bin 28 by means of suction into a supply bin 32, and outwardly from the supply bin 32 through a conduit member 34. The conduit 34 discharges into one leg 36 of a Y connection 38 and discharges therefrom into a supply conduit 40. Suction is appliedto the conduit 40 by means of a suitably driven blower mechanism 42, through a conduit 44, which communicates through a suitable valve 46 with the conduit 46. The valve 46 is of the usual construction used in the art and functions to permit the discharge of the brous material from the conduit 40 while suction is applied to the conduit 46 for carrying the fibrous material therethrough. The fibrous material is discharged from the valve 46 into a coniining conduit 48, which has a continuously moving endless conveyor 56 forming the bottom4 thereof. The fibrous material Within the conduit 48 is thus carried along the conduit to discharge conduits 62, there being one for each of the machines 22, having automatically operable gates 54 associated therewith. When the gate 54 is opened, the brous material is caused -to pass downwardly through the conduit 52 into a hopper 56. The hopper 56 is operatively associated` with its corresponding gate 54, as well understood in the art, so that when a predetermined amount of fibrous material is charged into the hopper 56, the gate 54 is automatically closed. Upon depletion of the material contained Within the hopper 56, it automatically operates to open the gate 54 so that more fibrous material is then discharged into that hopper. When all of the hoppers are iilled so that none of the brous material is being discharged thereto, the brous material within the conduit 48 is caused to pass to the end of the conduit into an end conduit member 58 which discharges into a conduit pipe 60. The

conduit pipe 60 is in return communication with the inlet pipe 4U beyond the Y connection 48. This provides for recirculation of the brous material through the pipe 60 and the conduit 40 for return to the hoppers 56 in the event that the iibrous material is not used as fast as it is supplied; and also provides for the recirculation of the brous material so that it need not be returned to the beginning of the processing operation.

The fibrous material is discharged from the hoppers 56 into their respective machines 22, within which the fibers are further processed to the point of refinement required for forming the bats.

According to the present invention, upwardly directed return conduit members 62, having erilarged inlet nozzles 64, are disposed at an intermediate stage in the passage of the fibrous material to the bat receiving conveyor l2, and in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. l are disposed immediately above each of the conveyors 24. The conduit members 62 communicate with a common conduit member 66, which in turn communicates With the other leg 68 of the Y connection 38.

A two-way valve, generally indicated at 10, is interposed between the outlets and the conduits 34 and 66 and the inlets 36 and 63, respectively, of the Y connection 38. The valve 16 includes a valve housing l2 within Vwhich a movable valve member 14 is pivotally mounted. The valve member i4 includes a straight arm portion 'I6 which is keyed at substantially its center to a pivot shaft 'lil for pivotal movement therewith. At diametrically opposed ends of the arm 76 are substantially circular closure members T8 and 80 which are adapted to close oi the discharge ends of the conduits 34 and 36 respectively, depending upon the position of the valve member 14. The shaft 18 has a crank arm 82 connected thereto which in turn has a rod 84 pivotally connected thereto. The arm 84 is associated with a solenoid 86 which is connected by a lead 88 to an automatic switch 96, preferably located on the sewing machine 20.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3, the nozzles 64 are disposed above the bat receiving conveyor l2 and are associated with the lower end of the conveyor 26 above the conveyor l 2. As disclosed in the copendirig Avery application menp tioned above, the lower end of the conveyor 26 is adapted to reciprocate across the top of the conveyor l2; and in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3, the nozzles 64 are so arranged as to reciprocate with the conveyor 26. The nozzles 64 are connected by flexible conduits 92 with the common conduit 66 so as to permit such reciprocation, and are of course disposed closely adjacent to the top of the conveyor l2 so that the 1ibers deposited thereon may be readily collected and returned to the conduit 66. The remaining part of the apparatus for the structure illustrated in Fig 3 is substantially the same and functions the same as the structure illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

In operation, when the mechanism I6 is operating to form the upholstery articles, the valve 'I4 is in such a position as to shut off the discharge end of the conveyor 66; and the discharge end of the conduit 34 is open for passage of the material into the conduits 36.

In case of shut-down of the mechanism I I3, the sewing machine 20 stops and the switch 90 automatically actuates the magnetic switch 86 to shift the valve 'I4 to the position indicated in Fig. 2 so that the conduit 66 communicates with the conduit 68, and the conduit 34 is shut off fromcommunication with the conduit3r6. The suction which is applied to `the conduitl 40 is then transmitted through the conduit 66 to the nozzle 64, and the fibrous material located immediately under the nozzle 64 is drawn into the conduit 66 and into the supply conduit All. Upon .Y

resumption of operation of the machine' lll, the switch is again actuatedto return the valve I4 to its initial position so that communication between the conduits 6B andI 68 is blocked off and communication between the conduits 3ft and 35 is resumed.

While the invention is illustrated with upholstery forming machines and has particular utility with such machines, itv will be evident to those skilled in the art that the invention is capable oi use with machines having other uses. Formal changes may be made in the specific embodiments of the invention described without departing from the spirit and substance of the invention, the scopeof which is commensurate with the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus of the class described including, in combination, ber processing means havingl a ing means and having its outletend connected to said supply conduit means, valve means controlling the communication between said other conduit means and said supply conduit means, and means automatically controlling actuation of the valve means in accordance with the operationof said machine means.

2. Apparatus of the class describedincluding,`

in combination, iiber processing means having a portion thereof` in which the fibers are exposed, machine means for receiving the bers from the processing means and forming articles therewith, supply conduit means for supplying material to said processing means, means constantly applying a vacuum to a portion of said supply conduit means'for causing movement of the material therethrough, other conduit means having its inlet end disposed above the exposed portion of said processing meansv and havingitsoutlet end" connected to said `supply conduit means, valve means rcontrolling the communication between said other conduit means and said supply conduit means, and means automatically actuatingv said valve means in response to the operationrof said machine means.

3. Apparatus ofthe class described including,

in combination, ber processing means having a portion `thereof in which the fibers are exposed,

machine means for receiving the iibers from the exposed portion. of said processing means and forming articles therewith, supplyfconduit means for supplying material to said processing means, means constantly applying a vacuum to a portion of said conduit means for causing passage 'Y of said material therethrough, vother conduit means having its inlet enddisposed above the having its outlet end connected to -said supply conduit means, valve means controlling the corn-il munication between Asaid other conduit means and said supply conduit means, and means automaticallylactuating said valve meansin response to the operation of said machine means.

4. Apparatus of the class described including,

in combinatiomber processing means having a portion thereof in which the fibers are exposed,

machine means for receiving the bers from the .l `processing means and forming `articles therey exposed portion of ysaidfproces'sing means and' with, a conduit means forming a complete circuit for carrying the brous material therethrough, means applying a vacuum to a portion of said circuit to cause passage of said iibr'ous material therethrough, conduit means communicating said circuitmeans with said fiber processy ing means for supplying brous material to said processing means, other conduit means havingv its inlet end disposed above .the exposed portion of said processing means yand having its outlet ends connected to said .supply conduit meansfa '1 I valve controlling the communication between said other conduit means and said circuit, and

means automatically actuating said valve in re-` sponse to operation of said machine means.

CLARENCE W. AVERY." 

